Artillery battalion deactivated

Published: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 03:33 PM.

Battalion Sgt. Maj Richard Estrada feels honored both professionally and personally to have served with such an illustrious unit, he said.

“As a battalion sergeant major the deactivation is a bittersweet feeling,” said Estrada, whose next duty station will be the Infantry Training Battalion at the School of Infantry East. “I was honored to be the last enlisted adviser of this battalion.”

The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Todd Perry said the deactivation process has been tough.

“We’ve had to maintain proficiency as artillerymen throughout the whole process,” said Perry, 43, of Spring,
Texas
. “There’s no manual for deactivation. We had to figure it out as we went along.”

The whole deactivation process will be complete by mid June, said Perry.

“The main thing I hope is our Marines walked away with is a deeper respect for the history of our unit,” Perry said. “Marines will always have that pride. Their past and present unit should always have a deeper meaning to them based on the accomplishments of the past.”

A battalion whose legacy began at the battle of Saipan during World War II and carried to present day actions in Afghanistan was deactivated on Friday during a ceremony aboard Camp Lejeune.

“It’s very calming,” said Kevin Utsick, 46, of Camp Hill Pa. “I hate to see the unit go. I had a lot of good memories with a lot of good Corps friends. It’s been an enjoyable adventure being in the Corps and with this unit.”

As of Friday 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines stands deactivated after a ceremony which honored both their lineage, honors, present Marines and alumni. The history of the battalion dates back to World War II with their most recent deployment being to Afghanistan in 2010.

“Forever and always I will be an artilleryman at heart,” said Utsick, an alumni of 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines.

“It never goes away,” Utsick said. “Even when I’m at home I still talk about camaraderie with my kids. We were a tight knit unit that stuck together.”

Utsick still stays in touch with Marines he served with, he said.

“We have reunions in Pennsylvania,” Utsick said. “The Marines are always faithful to friends and the Corps. We have to stay in touch to keep the camaraderie alive.”

Battalion Sgt. Maj Richard Estrada feels honored both professionally and personally to have served with such an illustrious unit, he said.

“As a battalion sergeant major the deactivation is a bittersweet feeling,” said Estrada, whose next duty station will be the Infantry Training Battalion at the School of Infantry East. “I was honored to be the last enlisted adviser of this battalion.”

The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Todd Perry said the deactivation process has been tough.

“We’ve had to maintain proficiency as artillerymen throughout the whole process,” said Perry, 43, of Spring, Texas. “There’s no manual for deactivation. We had to figure it out as we went along.”

The whole deactivation process will be complete by mid June, said Perry.

“The main thing I hope is our Marines walked away with is a deeper respect for the history of our unit,” Perry said. “Marines will always have that pride. Their past and present unit should always have a deeper meaning to them based on the accomplishments of the past.”